1. Field of Invention
The invention described here is based on a control unit for an electrical switch.
2. Related Art Statement
Control devices of the type with which this invention is concerned make it possible for a user of an electrical switch to purposefully bring it into various switch settings via an actuation element. In addition, control devices of this type have a predetermined system of rest positions, which is perceptible to the user and, via a defined setting of the actuation element, makes perceptible to the user what switch setting the electrical switch is moving into and/or which switch setting the electrical switch is in at any given time.
A control unit for an electrical switch that contains some features of the present invention has been disclosed in DE-GM 71 11 751. In this rotary light switch with an additional setting option in the axial direction, a molded control track is integrated in the switch shaft. Two control elements that are formed as balls, are mounted opposed to each other, are each under the effect of a compression spring, and engage in the control track. In this design, the control track is formed in such a way that during angular or axial displacement of an actuation element, only one displacement of the control elements in an angular or axial direction occurs, exclusively. However, in that version of the control device, in a combined light--fog light--rear fog light switch for automobiles, the electrical switch could be brought into a switching position that has a non-permissible function. This is the case for example, if the electrical switch is in a position in which the fog light and/or fog light-rear fog light function is switched on without the parking light and/or dimmed light functions being switched on at the same time.
In addition, an automobile rotary light switch with an additional axial displacement option for the fog light and rear fog light functions has been disclosed in DE-AS 26 31 144. In this switch, automatic retention in non-permissible switch settings is prevented by an automatic return of the control device to its starting switch setting. However, it is not possible while switching on the fog light and/or fog light-rear fog light function (axial displacement of the actuation element) to automatically switch on the parking light function (angular displacement of the actuation element) and thus to automatically achieve only permissible switch settings. In addition, a separate control device each for the angular and for the axial displacement is necessary, which results in the entire switch being relatively expensive, due to the number of required components and the multiple manufacturing processes involved.